Rup Monsta is a TITAN when it comes to his music. His projects tend to be well-rounded and completely thought out, bringing together his creativity and sheer abundance of SOUL. The man has lived and breathed music since 5 years old when he got his first drum kit and started learning the art of percussion. Over the course of his career, Rup Monsta has released 7 projects with 3 waiting in the wings. He has taken home CUT and APCMA Awards, had radio play on some major Canadian stations, and shared the stage with a long list of his heroes. His most current release, SELF-MADE SELF PAID, is a true exploration of his musical talents. The album contains live drumming, bass, guitar, all on a killer level of old-school vibe with that new school flavor peppered in. A completely self-contained project, the album was completed 100% in-house. This project showcases Rup's diversity in musical ability and screams the message, "I do this all by myself, and I'm amazing at it."
The early years were literally just a boy and his skins. By 14 Rup Monsta was drumming at a professional level. His early music was unleashed on the world in the form of grunge/rock. Picture the garage band that played the local Battle Of The Bands or basement parties. This was a time that Rup remembers his peers being very anti hip hop. "When i started rapping, rap was at a state where you couldn't even play it at party's. It would cause fights all the time and we'd beef to keep it on." Being a drummer, production came like a second nature to Rup. By 15 he had fully immersed himself in hip hop. MOONSHINE KRU was formed mid way through high school and they released 2 albums, Intastella and Eclipse. As any young rapper knows, battle rap is the ultimate way to solidify your name with respect. In 2006 a moment of innovation struck and Rup created murrk.com. It was one of the first battle sites where users could type out their lyrics and be judged by other users. The sight maintained yearly views of over thirty thousand until 2009. By 2009, Rup Monsta had some serious buzz in Winnipeg. MOONSHINE CRU had disbanded and Rup was on his own. He released Support Your Local Talent and had 500 copies pressed which he then gave away. This kind of love for ones art is what really separated Rup from the rest of the cats in the area trying to roll in the same lane. His follow up album, Support Your Local Talent 2, was received with as much love from the hip hop community. You can still find SYLT2 on iTunes. Rup Monsta had started to form a long term vision by 2010 and opened 204 Street Productions in The Village. The studio has become a staple in the Winnipeg area and gives Rup a place to really be completely free creatively. To mark this new found freedom, Rup Monsta, (along with Charlie Fettah and Cypha Diaz), released ADHD in 2011, the first project completely designed and executed at 204 Street Productions. 2012 was a huge year for Rup Monsta. Dedication and a strong appetite to create art brought about a massive record with Trey Nyce. Rose & Dat Cleco was instantly picked up by major radio stations in Vancouver all the way to Toronto. The video was rocked on the Much Music rotations. It won Song Of The Year and Most Requested on Winnipegs Rhythm 104.7. This momentum was exactly what Rup needed. 2013 marked another milestone with a track he wrote for Winnipeg's Most, titled Don't Stop. The track won the APCMA single of the year and really showcased the range Rup Monsta has when it comes to melody and overall songwriting. By the time SELFMADE SELF PAID is released in 2014, Rup Monsta has the clarity and confidence in his craft only years of practice can bring about. The project wins him a 2015 CUT Award for Producer of the Year, and growing respect in the Canadian hip hop community as a whole.
Currently, Rup Monsta is sitting on a doozy of a project. After years of celebrating hip hop, Rup is finally putting out something that starts at his roots. Nas, KRS One, House Of Pain, Cypress Hill, LL Cool J, Wu Tang, these artists first grabbed the attention and later inspired a young Rup Monsta. Boom Bap and classic 90's sounds were integral in his growth as a musician. All the production cleverly weaves in sci-fi samples from specific movies. This kind of project points to the insight Rup Monsta has, as well as a yearning to re-live some of the youth that comes with being an OG. The coolest aspect of this project is it's available on Cassette. DJ Combo and Rup plugged into an old 4 track and recorded it with two turntables and a microphone. Probably the most symbolic thing in the 90's hip hop culture! The Boom Bap Emporium is slated to drop the first quarter in 2016. Until then, be sure to check YouTube for We Get High, and Take That Mothafucka. Both those singles are available for listening on Rup's YouTube channel, /TheRupnessMonsta. You can also find Rup on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @rupmonsta.
RUP MONSTA
BIOGRAPHY
